We’ll be more assertive in coalition says Clegg

NICK Clegg will today promise a more “assertive” role for the Liberal Democrats in Government on the coalition’s first anniversary after David Cameron signalled more arguments are set to be played out in public.

The Deputy Prime Minister will say the stability of the Government will not be threatened by more disagreements, saying: “We will stand together, but not so closely that we stand in each other’s shadow.”

And in a sign of a shift to put more distance between the parties to protect the Lib Dem identity after what he admits were “awful” local election results next week, he will promise the Lib Dems will be “more committed at heart to fairness than the Conservatives” at the next election.

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Mr Clegg’s speech today comes after the Prime Minister yesterday said relations between the parties would be more “businesslike” in the wake of tensions over the AV referendum.

But he insisted increasing “noise” from Tories and Liberal Democrats would not split the partnership before 2015. “Of course coalitions are different and it does mean sometimes quite noisy arguments between Conservatives and Lib Dems, because we are different parties and we don’t always agree.”

In a television interview marking the anniversary, he added: “I think maybe what we need to do is see more of what the Government is like from the inside.”

Mr Cameron said the coalition had made “good progress”, taking “long-term decisions” for the good of the country.